We are now having face-to-face chats with friends instead of talking online. But have you ever been in a conversation that you wish you could run away from?
A research team surveyed 806 participants about a recent conversation they had with someone close to them. The participants were asked about the actual length and their expected length of the conversation, and how long they thought the other person wanted to talk for.
According to the team's paper published in the journal PNAS, about one-third of the conversation length was unwanted. On average, they continued talking for 3.87 minutes before they sensed that the other speaker, too, wished to end it. Situations are similar when it comes to strangers. Only about 1.6 percent of the conversations ended when both parties wanted them to.
The paper pointed out that when they talk to strangers, what makes people "mask their desires" may be their politeness. When talking to close friends and family, it may be their kindness as ending the chat too soon may hurt the other's feelings.
Saying you only have a certain amount of time to talk at the start of the chat is a good place to start. "Remember conversations don't end because people don't know when the other person wants to go," Adam Mastroianni who led the study told the Inverse website. For example, clearly communicate that you had a nice time and would like to talk again.
However, in some ways, this may not be a bad thing. Conversation is a good way to make these connections happen.
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A. After all, people need social connections. B. It's difficult to run away from a conversation. C. So what is the best way to end a conversation? D. Scientists have proved that you might not be alone. E. And some participants felt trapped in the conversation. F. You should make your partner feel good about the end of the chat. G. Also, more participants believed they wanted to end the conversation first. |
